A night at the Kit Kat Club
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club has been one of London’s most popular productions since its opening on December 12th, 2023. Tickets are notoriously sought after and are pricey in comparison to the other musicals running on the West End, so the lottery for same-day tickets is competitive to say the least. I was lucky enough to win the lottery on March 1st, and found myself a seat in the stalls at the newly renovated Playhouse Theatre, now London’s Kit Kat Club. I went into the show blind, and can say that I was impressed from the time I walked through the door until I left a few hours later.
Audience members are instructed to arrive around an hour to half an hour before the production begins, allowing them time to explore the Kit Kat Club. Stickers placed on cell phone cameras are a requirement for entry, allowing the experience to be unique to audience members. Before witnessing the performers exist in their fictional world onstage, we first got to experience the Club ourselves as we were guided through multiple rooms, all with performers and bars. This was captivating, and I felt as if I had entered a world totally unlike my own. The mood was exquisitely crafted and the ambiance, dancers, and music contributed to the abstract, dark, and moody feel. This much mimicked what I assume audiences of Cabaret’s Kit Kat Club experienced in the story, and this pre-show experience substantially contributed to my understanding of the story and of my own place in it.
Going off of that, Cabaret is a story centered not only around the characters on stage, but mainly about the audience. Sally and many of the others do not realize how strong the hatred and anti-semitism are becoming in their pre-WWII German reality. Ultimately, spoiler alert, it is the reason why Clifford leaves. Clifford is able to realize that there is impending conflict, especially after unknowingly aiding a Nazi in smuggling illegal goods. However, this story is not only about these people and their stories. It holds a mirror up to the audience, showing them how easy it is to become ignorantly entrapped in a tragic, hateful, and ultimately evil community. It is about being an informed citizen who can think freely and make difficult decisions when reason and morality prompts it. I won’t speak on how this may apply to us in our present society, but I do think that this is a timely and important message for audience members from all over the world. In the age of social media and modern technology, we have the ability to stay informed about what is happening in our world and, sometimes, to do something about it.
On another note, London’s production of Cabaret was stunning. I was immensely impressed by the costuming and staging. The rotating, circular, tiered stage was expertly used, and allowed for new, interesting stage pictures to occur throughout the performance. The production was very stylized and burlesque, and the choreographed sensuality and intricate costumes contributed to the same feeling that, as an audience member, you were experiencing this just as an audience member in the story would. The performances were fantastic across the board, and teetered on the edge of stylized absurdism in some scenes and stark realism in others. This highlighted the differences between Sally’s work as a performer and her inner struggles, making moments like “Maybe This Time” even more poignant.
Cabaret was not only a musical, but also an experience. I learned a lot both through experiencing their creativity, but also through the musical’s striking content. I applaud everyone involved and urge anyone reading this to attend!
